I received this missive from State Democratic Party Chair John Burton just a few moments ago. I think it's important enough to share verbatim:
Please join me in thanking Assembly and Senate Democrats for passing a common-sense budget before the fiscal year ends tomorrow.
Late last night, Assembly Democrats passed a spending plan that minimizes the cruel cuts advocated by the governor by raising $2 billion in new revenue. Just a few minutes ago, Senate Democrats followed suit, passing a plan that requires Big Tobacco and Big Oil to share in the state budget sacrifice.
Speaker Karen Bass, President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and their caucuses should be commended for standing firm against the governor's Draconian cuts.
In order to pass the plan, legislative leaders structured it to require a majority vote. That's because Republicans have repeatedly refused to provide the handful of votes necessary to pass the plan with two-thirds support.
Disappointingly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vowed to veto the Democrats' budget plan, preferring to play a game of chicken with the budget. He and Legislative Republicans would rather strip health care from nearly one million children and close 220 state parks than ask corporate special interests to pay their fair share.
Now, the onus is on the governor and Republican lawmakers to explain to Californians why they would rather drive the state over a cliff than agree to a budget with a mix of cuts and new revenue.
Please, call Governor Schwarzenegger's office today at (916) 445-2841 or (213) 897-0322. Ask the governor to sign this budget plan, which minimizes the cuts by sharing the sacrifice.
Peace and friendship,
John Burton
Thanks for the heads up.
I just called the governor and implored him to VETO this unconstitutional budget bill.
The state must learn to live within its means. This is what most people have to do. When their income is reduced they have to reduce expenditures.
We can’t just keep raising taxes and not fix the spending problem. Pretty soon there will no one to pay the taxes for those that don’t work.
So you'd prefer to see the state go bankrupt, issue IOUs, put thousands of people out of work, devastate the tourism industry, keep children from getting medical attention and food rather than ask tobacco user to pay a voluntary tax or BIg Oil to pay their fair share?
Nice.
I don't think "Richard" read the budget deal. It does reduce spending dramatically. It is a budget deal made up mostly of cuts with some extra taxes.
What "Richard" is saying is that he doesn't want the party that won the election to create the budget.
Spending has already gone down, and this budget has spending going down again.
He's not going to. He'd rather watch the state crash and burn.
And as to "Richard" Holiday, please enlighten us as to how much money is going to "those that don't work". Your ignorance is telling, as is your veiled racism.
That vast majority of state expenditures aren't going to "those that don't work", unless you count the insane amount of money going to the prison system. In fact, the coastal "blue" counties pay more into Sacramento than we get back, while the "red" rural counties pay less than they get.
I assume all those lazy welfare recipients stealing your hard-earned white tax dollars are living in Riverside and Kern Counties, eh?
It's same thing with the states, btw: CA gets 79 cents back for every dollar it pays into the U.S. government, while Alaska gets $2 for every dollar it puts in, and the vast majority of Southern states are welfare states living off the federal government's largesse.
People like "Richard" buy into this Randian idea of "hardworkin' taxpayers" vs. "govmint-loving' leeches", without the least understanding of where and how the state spends its money, or just who the leeches and parasites on the government are. Hint: you might want to look at the corporate citizens who have gotten over $100 billion in tax breaks over the last decade.
Really, though, the key is this: the people of California have chosen to elect a wide majority of Democrats to the legislature and to state positions. Because of a Howard Jarvis quirk of Prop 13, an extremist minority of Republicans control the budget process, and Ahnuld doesn't care because he's on his way out anyway, certain to be replaced with a Democrat he can throw the mess onto. Republicans only believe in "democracy" when it suits their interests.
David Atkins,
Where is the veiled racism in his comments?
it's in the assumptions behind the phrase "paying taxes for those who don't work." Everyone including he knows exactly what he means by that, and he's not talking about trustifarians, white liberals, or rural white trailer trash meth addicts.
He doesn't have to say what he means for us all to know exactly what he means. Except that he's dead wrong, in addition to being a jerk.
Los Angeles County and Bay Area counties where the majority of the immigrants are and where the majority of the urban poor are located *give more to Sacramento than they get back.* So does Ventura County, btw. That's not where the drain on state coffers is.
The drain on state coffers comes from the prison system, from dedicated ballot-driven spending that the legislature can't touch, and and from the vast numbers of people thrown onto the state's medical rolls, because the U.S. has one of the craziest, most immoral healthcare systems on the planet. That and the billions upon billions in tax breaks received by the biggest corporations in California, as well as prop 13's gifts to Disneyland and other commercial real estate holders who never sell their property.
If California got the money back from the Fed that it gives to support Alaska, Alabama and the rest of the Republican welfare states in the country, and if the U.S. had a decent national healthcare system, and we stopped spending more on prisons than NY, TX and FL combined, and we got back just a tiny portion of the tax breaks we've given to big corporations, we'd be back in the black even without altering prop 13 to protect homeowners while make Disneyland pay what it ought.
This Randian fantasy of "providers" and "parasites" with racist overtones held by the likes of "Robert" is just that: a fantasy. One could hope all such people just "go Galt" and leave us alone. They wouldn't be missed. Most of them live in areas that mooch much more tax revenue than they give back.
NO Call the Governor an urge his veto on this and any plan that includes tax or fee increases.
California doesn't have a revenue problem
California has a spending problem
That problem is all the bozos in Sacramento who spend our money to buy votes and keep themselves in office. These dirbags are addicts and their drug of choice is spending state money to appease activists and special interests.
Say NO today
and say no in 2010.
Throw all incumbents out of office!
CHASP,
Wow, what astute analysis and commentary! We are wowed by your command of the facts at hand.
Thanks for the heads up, I just called him and reminded him of his promise to VETO this garbage! I'm sick and tired of this! No more, no more taxes, I have to live within my means, now they MUST. If it weren't for the Unions who don't give a damn about the elderly, teachers or kids, just their over paid jobs, we would have a surplus! Why is their median income 67K and ours is 37K??? Our unemployment is 11-12%, theirs is less than 2%???
Stop the madness, no more taxes, these idiots are driving every tax paying business out...
Thanks!!
I am a teacher and in a union and I care about kids. Next year I will have 37 in my classroom making my job even harder. I don't get a great retirement package and won't retire until I'm 61. The pay isn't enough to purchase a home without a second income. I spend long hours in difficult circumstances working with children whose parents often don't give a damn. Step in my shoes for a minute and see how long you last. This is a job we do because we care about the future of our nation and the young minds who will one day lead it.